Notes |
- Clues to determine this branch of the family primarly come from the John Langford Letter in the Draper Manuscript Collection.
The letter was written on 05 May 1874.
According to John Langford:
His (John Langford) father was: James Langford and was about 6 years old during the Revolutionary War (thus born about 1770-1775).
His uncle was: Asa Langford (was about 8 or 9 years old during the Rebolutionary War) (we know now that he was born 1773).
His Grandmother was: Nancy Presnell (Langford) (Calk). Was married to John Langfrod before the Revolutionary War.
His Grandfather was: John Langford, was wounded at the Battle of the Regulation.
His Great-Uncle was: Jacob Presnell (died at the age of about 75, when John Langford was about 12 or 13 years old).
His Grandmother's (Nancy Presnell) father was Daniel Presnell. According to the letter, Daniel Presnell moved to Newberry, South Carolina around 1780.
We know that the author. John Langford was born 19FEB1818 and died 02DEC1892. Therefore, his great uncle, Jacob Presnell was 75 years old at about the year 1830 (when John Langford states that he was 12 years old. This would make the estimated birth year for Jacob to be about 1755.
"THE JOHN LANGFORD LETTER" .
Near Lorena, Lexington Co., South Carolina
May 5th, 1874 . Mr. L.C. Draper Dear Sir:
"As far as my memrory goes, Lord Rawdon and Col. Cruger, both belonging to the same Army, camped at Juniper Creek but in the morning separated. Rawdon kept up the direct road to Ninety Six, and Cruger took up the Lee's Ferry Road."
"Col. John Hampton who commanded the Americans, had spies out, and engaged him at Weaver's Old Field, to the Big Hollow Creek, crossed, and eluded the fight in what is called Vansant's Old Field. They killed several. I recollect of seeing places shown me by an old lady who said that she and a Miss Weaver went and buried them at three places. There was another place in the Vansant Old Field under a large elm tree, where they (the British) deposited their sick and wounded during their stay there. Several of the wounded died and were buried under the elm tree. The next morning they took out two men (Thomas and Sylvester Stokes) and hung them to a post oak, and while hanging, the British took fright and ran off and left them hanging. In about three months after, my father (sic. actually it was Mr. Vansant) cut them down and buried their bones."
"I have an inquiry of an old gentleman of the name Vansant, who has given me a description of the fight at Weaver's Old Field between the Americans and the British. He says the British were commanded by Lt.Col. Cruger (error, L.C.D.) and as well as my memory serves me, I have heard my stepfahter William Calk say that the British were six hundred strong, and the Americans under Col. John Hampton, one hundred sixty strong. The numbers killed and wounded is uncertain. Mr. Vansant says he has seen four British graves that the occupants were said to have been killed in the fight, and four American graves, and the two that he says were left hanging so long on the post oak."
"My great uncle Jacob Presnell was in the fight, posted by a tree firing at the British, saying, "Dam' em, let 'em come on!" Hampton, seeing he was outnumbered, called a retreat, saying, Boys, follow me! Presnell, not hearing the order, stood his ground till the enemy was close to him; then looking back for his commander and men and discovering they were gone, he jumped on his unbridled pony, but the animal would not move a step; when he jumped off, seizing one hand in the pony's mane, and holding his rifle in the other, and kicking the wild pony in the side, and keeping on the side not exposed to the enemy, regaining his party in the Holow Creek Swamp."
"I have seen my great uncle Jacob Presnell many a time at my father's house. He departed this life at about the age of seventy-five years, when I was about 12 or 13 years old.
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